Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention is directed to a remote controlled self-
loadiny truck having a til-t bed equipped with a bed mounted
hoist and having fold-down sides, and to such a tilt bed for
mounting on standard truck chassis, or on the trailer chassis
of standard semi-tractor-truc~ units. The tilt bed and bed
mounted hoist are especially adapted to rear end loading for
transport of elongated material such as loys, structural iron,
piping, and the like, which is ordinarily difficult to load.
Because the hoist functions through a pivoting loader boom,
other materials can be loaded over the side. Although not
essential, by the addition of rear ramps,/such as palletized
materials, skid mounted equipment, wheeled equipment, and the
like, may be more readily loaded from the rear.
THE PRIOR ~RT
McIntyre U. S. Patent No. 4,318,658 shows one form of
tilting bed vehicle having a bed mounted winch. However, this
vehicle is for rear loading only and is primarily desi~ned
so that the rear end of the bed can be fully lowered onto
the ground surface without resorting either to an impractical
loading angle or an excessively rearwardly extending bed,
with their attendant problems~ Extensive modification of the
existing frame or chassis of the supporting vehicle is requir-
ed so as to provide relatively pivotable front and rear frame
sections.
Milner U. S. Patent No. 2,351,829 shows a tiltable semi-
trailer bed with associated winch means. ~owever, the ~inch
mechanism remains on the fixed portion of the trailer frame.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Broadly stated, the present invention comprises a vehicle
having a frame supported on front and rear axles which are
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supported on wheels. A tiltable flat bed is pivotally
supported adjacent its rearward end. Lift means for the~ bed
are pivotally secured at one end to the vehicle frame and at
the other end adjacent to the forward end of the bed. Elevated
ilOiSt means are supported on the tiltahle bed adjacent to its
forward end for movement with -the bed. The hoist means includes
a vertical standard rota-tably supported for limited rotation
about a ver.ical axis. An elongated boom extends rearwardl~
from the top of the vertical standard and is connected for
rotation therewith. The boom is spaced above the deck of the
flat bed. Winch means are mounted on the vertical standard for
rotation with -the boom. Transverse tail roller means are
journaled for rotation at the rearward edge of the flat bed.
Longitudinally extending hinged side gates on opposite sides of
the flat bed are provided with locking means for securing the
side walls in upright position. The side gates may be lowered
for side loading. Remotely manually controlled power means are
provided for pivoting the bed relative to the vehicle frame, for
raising and lowering~ for rotating the hoist boom, and for operat--
ing the winch~ The invention also comprises the tilt bed for
use in conjunction with standard vehicles.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The invention is illustrated in the accompanying draw-
ings in which:
Figure 1 is a left side elevation of a truck equipped
with a tilt bed and hoist means according to the present
invention;
Figure 2 is a right side elevation of the tilt bed and
hoist means;
Figure 3 is a top plan view thereof;
Figure ~ is a front end elevation thereof;
Figure 5 is a fragmentary vertical section on an
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enlarged scale showincJ details of the hoist boom mount;
Figure 6 is a fragmentary transverse vertical section on
the line 6-6 of Figure 3 showiny details of the mechanism for
lockin~ the tiltable bed to the vehicle frame;
Figure 7 is a left end view thereof;
Figure 7A is a right end view thereof;
Figure 8 is a schematic diagram vf the hydraulic system
by which tilting of the bed, rotation of the hoist boom, and
operation of the winch are controlled;
Figure 9 is a schematic diagram of the electrical system
by which operation of the hydraulic system is remotely con-
trolled; and
Figure 10 is a sec-tion, on an enlarged scale, on the
line 10-10 of Figure 2 and in the direction of the arrows
showing hinge and locking means for the bed side gates.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Referring now to the drawings, and particularly to Flgure
1, there is shown one form of vehicle, truck 10, on which the
tiltable bed of the present invention may be mounted. As is
conventional,jtruck 10 includes a generally rectangular frame
or chassis 11 supported on front and rear axles 12 and 13, each
of which is in turn supported by front and rear wheels 14 and
15, respectively. A motor housing 16 is mounted on the forward
end of the frame above the front axle and a driver's cab 17 is
located rearward of the motor compartment. A ~iltable flat
bed, indicated generally at 18, is adapted to be supported by
vehicle frame 11 and is pivotally attached to the rearward
end thereof at 19. Conventional hoist or lift means 20 are
pivotally attached at one end to the vehicle frame intermediate
of its ends and at the other end adjacent to the forward end
of the tiltable bed 18.
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As seen in F'igures 2 and 3, tiltable bed 18 comprises a
rectangular frame including left and right longitudinal side
beams 21 and Z2 and rearward and forward transverse beams 23 and
24, respectively. Intermedia-te longitudinal beams 25 and inter-
mediate cross beams 26 strengthen and reinforce the bed frame.
The frame is covered on its top surface with decking 27, such
as steel plate.
~ s seen in Figures 2, 3 and 4, a forward wall or bulkhead,
indicated generally at 28, is supported by and extends verti-
cally upward from forward cross beam 24 so as to be immediately
rearward of the truck cab when the bed is in its lowered posi-
tion. Bulkhead 28 comprises a frame including upper horizontal
cross beam 29 suppor-ted by left and right vertical members 30
and 31, respectively. Intermediate vertical supports 32 and
cross beams 33 reinforce and strengthen the bulkhëad frame.
Paneling 34, such as steel plate, preferably covers the
bulkhead frame.
~ vertical standard 35 for hoist means hereinafter des-
cribed is supported in the upper central portion of the bulk-
head frame. Hoist standard 35 is supported on thrust bearing
36 (Figure 5) and extends through sleeve 37 and ring ball bear-
ing 36A mounted in cross beam 29. A bracket 38 rigidly secured
to the uppermost end of hoist standarcl 35 supports hoist boom
390 A bracke-t 40 rigidly secured to a collar ~l at the lower-
most end of the boom standard supports one end of a strut 42,
the opposite end of which is attached at 43 -to the hoist boom
39. ~oom 39 and strut 42 may be of any standard construction.
If desired they may be telescoping for extension and retraction.
Limited rotation of the hoist boom 39 is accomplished
through a pair of upper and lower boom drive sprockets 44
and 45, respectively, rigidly mounted on the uppermost end
of hoist standard 35 on the side opposite from bracket 38.
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Desirably the boom pivots about 160. To ro~ate the boom in one
direction, one end of a sprocket roller chain 46 is secured to
one end of boom drive sprocket ~4 and extends partially around
the sprocket. The opposite end of chain 46 is secured to the
end of piston 47 of hydraulic cylinder 48 which is supported in
bracket 49 at the right hand end of bulkhead cross beam 29.
To rotate the boom in the opposite direction, one end of a
further drive chain 50 is secured to the opposite end of
drive sprocket 45 to extend partially around that sprocket.
The opposite end of chain 50 is connected to piston 51 of
cylinder 52 supported in bracket 53 at the left hand end of
bulkhead cross beam 29. Causing the piston of one cylinder
to retract exerts force upon one chain which is transmitted
to the corresponding sprocket to partially unwind the chain
from that sprocket while at the same time the piston of the
opposite cylinder is extended and the chain is wrapped around
the other drive sprocket, with resulting rotation of standard
35 and boom 39. -
Hoist boom 39 extends rearwardly from bulkhead 28,generally horizontally and preferably sligh-tly angularly upward-
ly. The boom is elevated above the bed deck to permit working
space below. A goose-nec]~ type boom tip or extension 54 at
the outer extremity of the boom arm supports a pivotally suspendL-
ed pulley block 55. A standard winch 56 is supported at the
top end of the hoist standard 35 for rotation therewith. Winch
56 is preferably a 3000 pound variable speed planetary hydraulic
winch driven by an hydraulic motor 57. A wire rope or cable
58 extends from winch 56 over the tcp of boom 39 to pulley
block 55. Tow line pulls of 30 and 60 feet per minute are pre-
ferred for most purposes. ~ hook 5~ or similar grappling means
is carried by the end of cable 58.
~s seen in Figures 2 and 3, to facili-tate loading of lon~
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rigid objects such as logs, pipe, etc., an elonyated tail roller
60 is journaled in brackets 61 at opposite sides of the tilt
bed immediately adjacen~ to the rear edye o~ the ~ed. Such
long stiff objects enyaye the surEace of the roller and cause
it to rotate, easiny the objects on-to the bed as they are pulled
by the winch and tow line. IJsing a 3000 pound winch, 5000 to
6000 pound logs may be loaded over the tail roller. Desirably,
roller 60 is provided wi-th one or more sets of longitudinally
aligned slots 62 adapted to engage forward hook-like members of
inclined ramps to facilitate loading of wheeled vehicles and
skid mounted equipment, and the like, onto the bed in its
normal level position.
Tilt bed 18 is provided with forward and rearward side
walls or gates 63 and 64, respectively, hingedly secured to
the bed frame on the opposite sides thereof. Each side gate
includes a plurality of parallel spaced apart vertical bar
mernbers 65 and horizontal members 66 forming a rigid frame
faced on one side with paneling 67, such as steel plate. As
best seen in conjunction with Figure 10, the side gates 63
and 64 are hingedly mounted on pins or rods 68 held in brackets
69 attached to the longitudinal side beams 21 and 22 of the
tilt bed frame. The bottommost end of each vertical side gate
member 65 is provided with a slot 70 which engages pin or rod
68. The bottommost ends of members 65 are provided with an
arcuate cam-like surface 71 which extends below the bottommost
edye of side gate paneling 67.
When the side gates are in upright position, the top ends
o slots 70 engage pins or rods 68. The bottommost end of
paneling 67 bears against and engages the outermost edge of
the tilt bed side beams 21 and 22 to maintain the side gates
in upright locked position. The side gates may be readily
lowered by manually liting them to disengage the top encls
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of slots 70 from pins or rods 68. ~I~he cam-like arcuate edges
71 of the side gate vertical members 65 engage the edge of the
bed side beam permitting the side yate to be rotated out~7ardl~
and downwardly to come to rest with the ol~posite ends of slots
70 enyaying pins or rods 68 and suspending the side gates in
vertical position below the bed deck to facilitate side load-
ing onto the bed,
Cut-outs 72 and 73 in the paneliny 67 oE the rearmost side
gates 64, adjacent to the horiæontal frame members 66, pro-
vide aircraft style s-teps to facilitate climbing onto the bed
when the side ga-te is in its lowered position. The rearward
side gates 63 are preferably spaced forward from the bulkhead
28 a sufficient distance to permit entry by a workman when the
rear side gates are in raised position. A ladder 74 is prefer-
ably provided for this purpose.
An elevated platform or basket 75 extends forwardly from
the top eclge of bulkhead 28 and partially overlies the truck
cab 17 when the tilt bed is in its lowered over-the-road posi-
tion. Basket 75 may be used for the storage of supplies and
equipment. A plurality of holes 76 are provided around the
periphery to permit the use of Bungy cords or similar fasten-
ing members to hold stored material in place. The bottom wall
77 of the basket/carrier preferably is formed of expanded metal
for drainage, to prevent the accumulation of rain water or the
like.
~ trailer hitch member 78 extends downwardly from the
tiltable bed 18 adjacent the center of its rearward end and
ser~es, for example, as a mount for tail lights, brake lights,
back-up lights, or the like; as well as a mounting for a
trailer hitch, or the like.
The tilt bed is provided with a self-engaging latch
mechanism, as shown in Figures 6, 7 ancl 7A. A pair of la~ch
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hoo~s 80 and 81 are welded or otherwise rigidly secured to a
crank arm 82 which is journaled for limited rotation in tne
bed longitudinal frame members 25 on the underside of the bed
and bracket 83 adjacent the left side of the bed. Crank arm
82 terminates in a handle 84. Latch hooks 80 and 81 are
spaced so as to extend downwardly from the bed outside of but
closely adjacent to the side edges of truck chassis frame 11.
The latch hooks engage latch pins formed b~y the opposite ends
of a latch rod 85 mounted in chassis frame 11 and extending out
on opposite sides of the chassis frame. The crank arm is spring
biased in the locked position, as by means of spring 86. The
face edges 87 of latch hooks 80 and 81 are tapered. When the
bed is lowered, the tapered edges of the hooks bear against the
latch pins and the downward movement of the bed causes the latch
hooks to engage rod 85 and lock the bed in place. When it is
desired to tilt the bed, downward force on handle 84 causes the
latch hooks to become disengaged to free the bed for lifting.
Operation of the bed lift and winch, and rotation of
the hoist boom is by means of a conventional hydraulic system.
The system may be manually controlled. Preferably, howev~r,
operation of the system is remotely controlled from a hand-held
panel connected through a hard wire umbilical or wireless con-
nection. As seen in Figures 8 and '~, the systems may be operated
from a remote hand-held control panel 88. Control panel 88
contains a plurality of push buttons which control up and down
movement of the tilt bed, in and out movement of the winch
cable, and right and left rotation of the hoist boom. Pre-
ferably the winch drive is two-speed and a separate fast-slow
toggle switch is provided for fast operation of the winch.
Depressing one of the push buttons triggers one of a series
of relays Rl through X7, which in turn actuate solenoids Sl
through S8 controlling valves regulating flow of pressuri2ed
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fluid to hydraulic cylinders 20, ~8 and 52 and hydraulic motor
58, in the conventional manner.
Remote control of the bed tilt, hoist rotation and ~7inch
functions permits one person operation for safet~ and effi-
ciency. One person and one piece of equipment can load, carry
and dump heavy material and equipment.
It is apparent that many modifications and variations
of this invention as hereinbefore set forth may be made
without departing from the spirit and scope thereof.
The specific embodiments described are given by way of
example only and the invention is limited only by the
terms of -the appended claims.
